Rosebud Reflection: Jade's Semester Reflection as a Commuter Student

Written By Jade Pablo, Fall 2025 Rosebud

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As a commuter student, my journey at USC has been anything but simple. Turbulent at times, yes, but never uneventful. Growing up in Los Angeles has given me many gifts, but the one I treasure most is the chance to meet and connect with the people who make this city what it is. From volunteering at recreational parks to helping at expungement clinics, I’ve always felt

grounded in the belief that this type of service should be done to uplift not just where you live, but who you share your home with. Even at USC, I was searching for people who felt that same pull toward community care; people who saw Los Angeles not just as a backdrop, but as a breathing network of cultures and stories. So when I first learned about USC Helenes, what caught my attention were the four pillars: SERVICE, SPIRIT, FAMILY, and DEI. I wondered to myself how deeply an organization could commit to those values. I wondered why an entire group would dedicate itself to something so rooted in care. And I wondered if I would ever find my place within it. Those were the questions I carried into my Rosebud semester. Now, a few months as a Rosebud, I’ve sewn tiny beanies for premature babies, stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Helenes cheering at Gatecall for nearly seven hours, and shared dishes at a cultural potluck where food became a doorway of sorts into each other’s childhoods. In every moment—big and small—I realized something meaningful: the Helenes who make this organization what it is don’t do it out of obligation or tradition or expectation.

They do it because they want to offer something of themselves. Some of them grew up in Los Angeles like me. Some came from across the country. Some even crossed oceans to be here. And yet, regardless of where we started, we all show up with the hope of contributing to something larger than ourselves. At its core, Helenes isn’t just a service organization. It is a space where people actively choose kindness, choose community, and choose to lift others up. As I near the end of my Rosebud semester, and as we all enter the Thanksgiving season, I’ve been reflecting on what this experience has meant so far for me. I never expected to find a group where I could feel both grounded in my identity and inspired by the identities of those around me. I never expected to feel so welcomed as a commuter student, or so connected to people whose backgrounds are vastly different from mine. But I am grateful—genuinely grateful—for every moment. For every Helene who introduced themselves with warmth. For every event that reminded me why service matters. For every conversation that made campus feel less like a place I traveled to, and more like a place I belonged. Helenes has given me a community of some of the kindest and most wholehearted people I’ve ever met. And as I look ahead, I can’t wait to keep integrating myself into this family, to keep showing up for others, and to continue growing alongside the amazing people who make this organization shine.

- Jade Pablo